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Chelsea are reportedly set to begin talks with Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran and the deal may open the door for Unai Emery to sign two Blues stars.

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• Chelsea open talks with Jhon Duran
• Aston Villa could target Chelsea duo
• May try for Maatsen and Gallagher

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chelsea have now received Aston Villa's permission to begin contract talks with Duran as they continue their search for a top goalscorer. The Telegraph has reported that the two Premier League sides have loosely agreed upon a £40 million ($50.7m) price tag. Chelsea also reportedly tried to sign the Colombian earlier this year during the winter transfer window but his injury at the time, halted any advances.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The deal would reportedly trigger Aston Villa to target Chelsea's Ian Maatsen and Conor Gallagher. Maatsen spent the second half of the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and impressed under Edin Terzic, however, Die Schwarzgelben are not willing to pay the Blues' £35million release clause, and as such, Unai Emery's side are now considering a move. The Villains are also targeting Gallagher and they hope that Duran's move may help in aiding the relationship with Chelsea to smoothen the deal for the midfielder.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  As per the Telegraph's report, there may be some hurdles that may come up in contract talks between Duran and Chelsea as the Blues want to offer the player a "long, incentivised contract, rather than putting him straight on big wages" as they try to gauge the Colombian's character with the striker believed to be an 'unusual' character.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR THE DEALS?

  It is likely that Chelsea may try to close to deal with Duran before the end of this month at the latest, as they would like to prepare the squad for Enzo Marseca's first season. As for Gallagher and Maatsen, it is likely that the deals can only be sorted after the end of their Euros campaign.

AC Milan are looking to hit the ground running under Paulo Fonseca next season and they have two names on their shortlist to kick-off their summer.

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• AC Milan looking to make new signings
• Chelsea's Chukwuemeka on the shortlist
• Monaco's Fofana also atop the list for Fonseca

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Roma boss officially joined AC Milan as Stefano Pioli's replacement following another failed title challenge at San Siro. The Rossonerri won the Scudetto in 2021-22 and also reached the semi-final of the Champions League in the next season, however, after an underwhelming season, the top brass thought it was the right time to bring in new energy to the side. Milan are now planning to make new signings for Fonseca.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  As per Gianluca di Marzio, the Rossonerri's two main targets this summer are AS Monaco's Youssouf Fofana and Chelsea star Carney Chukwuemeka. The club's main target this summer is to improve their midfield and they view the two aforementioned players as a decent enough upgrade to challenge for the Serie A title.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  If Milan sign Chukwuemeka this summer and bring him to San Siro, he will be reunited with two former Chelsea teammates in the form of Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The trio spent the 2022/23 season together at Stamford Bridge under Graham Potter and interim manager Frank Lampard.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MILAN?

  If they try to sign the duo this summer, they will have to do so after the European Championship with Fofana away on international duty with France. Meanwhile, they can begin talks with Chelsea for Chukwuemeka.

Leeds United turn their attention back to the Championship this afternoon as they prepare to host Rotherham at Elland Road after their FA Cup win during the week.

The Whites secured a meeting with Premier League side Chelsea in the next round of the competition with a 4-1 win over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.

They now return to Yorkshire for a clash with the Millers, who are rooted to the bottom of the table with three wins to their name, as they look to build on their five successive victories in the division.

Daniel Farke could now look to make some alterations to the starting XI that was selected against Plymouth, as a number of role players were provided an opportunity to impress, and one player who should be unleashed is Crysencio Summerville.

Jaidon Anthony started the match on the left wing and had a solid, albeit unspectacular, display but should move over to allow one of the club's star men to return.

Jaidon Anthony's performance against Plymouth

The 24-year-old attacker played 82 minutes of action against Plymouth on Tuesday night and was unable to register a goal or an assist for his team.

However, the Bournemouth loanee did create four chances for his teammates, albeit zero 'big chances', and completed 100% (2/2) of his attempted dribbles.

This shows that there were some promising signs from the English whiz, who could be a decent option to bring off the bench this afternoon.

Anthony has produced one goal and zero assists in 21 Championship appearances, two of which came as a starter, since his move to Yorkshire last summer.

He has been unfortunate in the sense that Summerville has been in extraordinary form this season in his position, which is why the Dutch winger should replace him for this clash with Rotherham.

Summerville could terrify Rotherham today

Farek could terrify the Millers by unleashing the former Feyenoord youngster ahead of Anthony as they have conceded the most goals (54) in the division and he has the quality to potentially make light work of their defence.

Summerville has been one of the best wingers in the Championship so far this season with his ability to provide a constant threat as a scorer and a creator of goals.

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old magician, who has racked up 12 goals and seven assists in 27 league outings, ranks very highly among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics; goals, assists, and quality of chances created.

The Leeds star showcased those qualities off the bench against Plymouth on Tuesday as he scored a terrific goal, curling the ball into the far top corner with his right foot, and assisted Georginio Rutter for a strike in extra time.

Phil Hay described Summerville as being a "nightmare" to play against earlier this week, and his statistics – in the Championship and the recent FA Cup clash – back that up.

Therefore, Farke could terrify Rotherham by unleashing his electric £16k-per-week sensation from the start to wreak havoc on the shaky Millers defence.

Les Bleus boast a stellar squad, but they're seriously struggling to shine ahead of Sunday's last-16 showdown with Belgium

After France's 1-1 draw with Poland on Tuesday, coach Didier Deschamps declared, "A new tournament is about to start. You cannot always read a competition just from the group stage."

It's a fair point, of course. Portugal failed to win a single game during the group stage of Euro 2016 and still went on to lift the trophy. Netherlands, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals in 2008 with a 100 percent record after scintillating victories over Italy, France and Romania, only to suffer a shock loss to Russia.

However, the group stage is undeniably a good indicator as to how a team is shaping up ahead of the knockouts – and there's simply no getting away from the fact that France have failed dismally to live up to their favourites' tag in Germany.

Les Bleus have been bad. Like, England bad. Indeed, were it not forthe Three Lions and their sleep-inducing football, France would be coming under a lot more scrutiny right now – because unlike Gareth Southgate's side, they have been punished for their poor play by ending up on the difficult side of the draw.

There remains a somewhat understandable presumption that things will eventually come right for a team that always seems to find a way to win, particularly when it matters most. However, there is absolutely no guarantee that France will avoid a second successive last-16 exit at the Euros. As the group stage has hammered home, Deschamps has several problems to solve…

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  Accident waiting to happen

  It's odd that Deschamps was so reluctant for so long to make William Saliba the cornerstone of his defence – and yet so willing to persist with Dayot Upamecano. Unsurprisingly,such blind faith in the error-prone Bayern Munich defender was punished against Poland,with Upamecano giving away the penalty that cost France top spot in Group D.

  Granted, Deschamps' options were restricted by an injury to Lucas Hernandez, while Ibrahima Konate had effectively lost his starting spot at Liverpool by the end of last season to Jarell Quansah, but Upamecano has long been the quintessential 'accident waiting to happen'.

  Indeed, it's just so telling that Kim Min-jae and Eric Dier were Thomas Tuchel's preferred centre-back pairing at Bayern, with Upamecano not trusted to play more than a minute of the Champions League knockout ties against Arsenal and Real Madrid.

  Deschamps, thus, has a massive decision to take on whether to stick with Upamecano against Belgium. Chances are, he will, but it's even more likely that it will prove a mistake.

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  Rabiot & Tchouameni toiling

  Is Adrien Rabiot suffering from a crisis of confidence?There was a bizarre moment in the draw with the Netherlands when the midfielder elected to try to tee up Antoine Griezmann for a goal when he should have taken the shot on himself.

  It was an incident that has rather typified Rabiot's poor decision-making to date. He's been by no means terrible – he's won the ball back regularly, kept it moving and created more openings than most of his team-mates – and yet he still looks nothing like the brilliant box-to-box midfielder that played such a pivotal role in France's run to the 2022 World Cup final.

  Rabiot's struggles could not have come at a worse time either, with Aurelien Tchouameni clearly still affected by the injury that saw him miss the end of Real Madrid's campaign. The midfielder has looked quite strong defensively, but his perhaps understandable caution in possession has led to calls for Deschamps to replace Tchouameni with a more progressive passer, such as the prodigiously gifted Warren Zaire-Emery or Youssouf Fofana, and move the revitalised N'Golo Kante back in front of the back four, where the veteran does most of his best work anyway.

  Something has to be done, at least, because while Kante has been France's player of the tournament so far, the make-up of the midfield is just not right.

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  The great Griezmann off his game

  Griezmann has obviously played a part in the midfield malfunctioning.France's hybrid hero from the 2022 World Cupis usually the perfect link-man, a creative No.10 that works as hard as No.6, but he's been well below his best in Germany.

  He's been wasteful in front of goal,most notably against the Netherlands, and sloppy in possession. In that sense, he could have little complaint about his demotion to the bench for the Poland game. However, his absence only underlined his importance to Deschamps' team. France may have continued to carry a threat out wide, but they sorely missed Griezmann's guile and energy in central areas.

  Maybe he's suffering from tiredness. Fatigue could well be a factor for a 33-year-old at the end of a long season. It's certainly a demanding role he plays. However, France need Griezmann back in the starting line-up – and back at something close to his brilliant best – if they're to get the better of Belgium.

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  Never-ending Dembele dilemma

  How do you solve a problem like Ousmane Dembele? You don't, probably. You can't.At 27 years of age, he's unlikely to ever change.

  Against Poland, we saw just how dangerous Dembele can be. He repeatedly blazed past Jakub Kiwior before eventually drawing a desperate challenge out of the Arsenal man that allowed Kylian Mbappe to give France the lead from the penalty spot.

  Time and time again, though, Dembele failed to pick out a team-mate after beating his man, while he also wasted France's best chance in the first half after being put in on goal by Kante, meaning he's still waiting for a first-ever goal at a major tournament.

  Surely, Deschamps is now wondering if Dembele is more of a hindrance than a help? He's already given the ball away 47 times in three games – more than any other French player. It's high time the coach considered another option on the right wing.

On Sunday, Manchester United beat West Ham 3-0 at Old Trafford, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring for the third Premier League match in a row and Alejandro Garnacho netting a double in the second half. United, who scored in stoppage time to beat Wolves 4-3 last Thursday, have now moved up to sixth place in the table and closed to within eight points off the top four.

However, the victory was marred by another injury for centre-back Lisandro Martinez, who was making just his second league start since September after missing 105 days and 22 games with a foot injury. The Argentine initially tried to play on after hurting his knee, but he ultimately had to go off on 71 minutes, and Erik ten Hag expressed immediate concern post-match.

He said: "I can't say but it doesn't look good. There is a bad concern. We have to wait for a few days for the diagnosis. We do everything to get the right diagnosis and see what is the damage.

"He is very sad, very disappointed. We all feel really with him. First of all, it is a personal disaster when it is really bad, but also for the team it is really bad because he definitely brings us a lot."

Martinez faces two months out

Ten Hag's fears have now been confirmed, with Sky Sports breaking the news out of Carrington that Martinez is set to be out until April after suffering a "serious" injury in a significant blow to their slim hopes of Champions League qualification.

The on-air update went as follows: “We’ve got breaking news from Manchester United, and if you’re a United fan it’s really bad news. It’s been confirmed that Lisandro Martinez suffered a serious knee injury during that win over West Ham yesterday and he’s expected to be out for at least two months.”

Fan favourite Martinez to miss Manchester derby

This is an almighty setback for Ten Hag and United, just as they were starting to build some momentum. When Martinez is on the field, United outscore their opponent on xG by an average of 0.56 per 90 minutes, which statistically makes him the third-most impactful player in the squad.

Striker Man Utd are in pole position for will change clubs this summer

He could be such an exciting addition at Old Trafford.

By
Henry Jackson

Feb 6, 2024

Martinez is a favourite at Old Trafford, having been named Fans' Footballer of the Year in 2022 and then finished third in the Player of the Season voting behind Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.

A two-month absence will see him miss games against rivals like Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and potentially Liverpool too. Time will tell whether United are even in contention for a top-four finish by the time he returns, or if they've made any movement on possible new centre-backs by then, like the heavily linked Jarrad Branthwaite.

Chelsea are thought to be in the race to sign a new £50m+ striker, with Todd Boehly and co already registering an interest in his services.

Chelsea striker rumours

The Blues were quiet during the January transfer window, failing to make a marquee signing, with the focus at Stamford Bridge being on departures. It comes after Mauricio Pochettino admitted last month that the club would look into their attacking options after an injury to Christopher Nkunku.

"It's true that now in the next few days, we are going to see the situation. That's why I told you that I am a little worried”, said Pochettino.

"All of these situations make our job a little more difficult. I told you before that it is an exciting project but situations like this make it more difficult to change the situation and grow at a different pace."

Four forwards were offered to Chelsea as short-term solutions, including AZ Alkmaar’s Vangelis Pavlidis, Zenit St Petersburg’s Mateo Cassierra, Cercle Brugge’s Kevin Denkey and Atletico Mineiro’s Paulinho, whereas former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema was also linked.

However, attention will now be on the summer window, and it has been claimed that Napoli star Victor Osimhen has already chosen to join Chelsea. The Blues will know that a deal isn’t done until all the paperwork is signed, though, and it looks as if they have their eye on another striker plying his trade in Europe.

Chelsea make Jonathan David contact

According to Football Transfers in the last 48 hours, Lille forward Jonathan David has been gaining more interest in recent months. They report that Brentford are looking at the Canada international to replace Ivan Toney.

The Ligue 1 side could demand up to €60m (£51m) for David’s services, and it is added that Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Manchester United, have also registered their interest over a potential deal.

David, labelled an “absolutely massive” player for Lille by Zach Lowy, moved to France from KAA Gent back in 2020 and has gone from strength to strength for his current employers. The 24-year-old can play as a centre-forward or second striker and has seen his Transfermarkt valuation double since joining Lille.

This isn’t the first time he’s been linked with a move to Chelsea, with David saying last year after rumours of a move to Stamford Bridge under Graham Potter:

“It's flattering when you are praised but personally I don't know him. The Premier League is one of the biggest leagues in the world, let's see what the future holds.

“I want to score as many goals as possible, not necessarily 20. If I can go much higher, I'll do that. But I take it game by game.”

As we know, Chelsea currently have Nicolas Jackson as their only senior striker option until the end of the season, so another marquee attacker appears to correctly be the priority in the summer, and by the looks of things, David is a player to keep an eye on ahead of the summer.

Turkey goalkeeper Mert Gunok pulled off a simply outrageous stop to deny Christoph Baumgartner an equaliser at Euro 2024.

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• Turkey see off Austria 2-1.
• Goalkeeper pulls off heroic late save
• Set up quarter-final clash with the Netherlands

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  There was plenty of drama at Euro 2024 on Tuesday as Turkey beat Austria 2-1 in the last 16. Two goals from Merih Demiral did the damage but Turkey were also indebted to goalkeeper Gunok who pulled off an incredible late save to preserve the win.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ralf Rangnick's side showed early promise in the tournament as they qualified for the knockout rounds after topping their group that had European giants like France and Netherlands. After narrowly losing to Les Bleus in their tournament opener, Das Team came back strongly to register back-to-back wins against Poland and the Dutch. Their journey, however, ended on Tuesday as Demiral's early strikes sealed the deal for the Turks.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TURKEY?

  The Crescent-Stars will be next seen in action against an in-form Dutch side in the quarter-final on Saturday night. Ronaldo Koeman's side made it to the last-eight stage by thrashing Romania earlier today.

The Real Madrid superstar is one of a number of high-profile players to miss out on inclusion but there is room for the game's next superstar…

The final of the 2024 European Championship is almost upon us, with Spain and England set to meet in the tournament-decider in Berlin on Sunday night. It could be an epic encounter, a classic clash of styles, with La Roja having entertained everyone with their direct and dynamic play, while the Three Lions have proven remarkably resilient.

Both teams are also packed with world-class talents, some of whom have really stepped up to the mark in Germany, producing moments of pure magic to keep their country's hopes of glory alive.

So, which players would warrant inclusion in a combined XI? GOAL makes our picks below and has been forced to leave out some seriously big names.

Let us know your thoughts – and your own Spain-England XIs – in the comment box provided…

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  GK: Jordan Pickford

  Jordan Pickford has copped an awful lot of flak over the years and some of it is obviously rooted in the fact that he's a rather aggressive character on the field. Credit where it's due, though, the Everton goalkeeper has never let the criticism affect him, he's seen off every challenge for the England No.1 shirt, and has been integral to his nation reaching another European Championship final.

  Unai Simon has done well for Spain, for the most part, but he always makes at least one poor decision in every game, whereas Pickford has been pretty flawless thus far. He may not be the biggest goalkeeper but he came up big once again for England in the quarter-final shootout win over Switzerland.

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  RB: Kyle Walker

  Dani Carvajal is one of the most underestimated players in world football – which is utterly bizarre given he's been a regular starter for Real Madrid during one of the most successful eras in the club's history – and he's been his usual consistent self in Germany.

  However, he did get himself sent off in the dying seconds of Spain's quarter-final win over Germany, so we're going to go with Kyle Walker at right-back instead, as the England man has barely put a foot wrong from a defensive perspective.

  The versatile Manchester City defender may not be everyone's cup of tea but his defensive abilities cannot be faulted. If one defender has the pace and nous to deal with Spain winger Nico Williams, it's Walker, who rather incredibly still seems to be as quick as ever at 34 years of age.

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  CB: John Stones

  There were serious doubts over John Stones' match fitness coming into this tournament, as he'd barely played for Manchester City during the final few weeks of the season. However, despite seeing his regular central defensive partner Harry Maguire ruled out by injury, he's performed with his usual level of class and composure, whether playing in a back four or a back three.

  Robin Le Normand has had some good games but he did score an own goal against Georgia and never really had any chance of getting into our team ahead of the player that's completed the most passes in Germany (495).

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  CB: Aymeric Laporte

  Aymeric Laporte leaving Manchester City for Al-Nassr felt like such a strange move at the time – but even more so now, with the 30-year-old proving at the Euros that he remains one of the classiest centre-backs in the game.

  Laporte was particularly impressive in Spain's wins over Germany and France – the perfect riposte to those of us that wondered whether Pep Guardiola had got rid of him because of a perceived decline in quality.

  So, while Marc Guehi deserves tremendous credit for the way in which he has stepped up to the mark for England, the resurgent Laporte has been a cut above the Englishman – and nearly every other defender in Germany.

A new target has emerged to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, with the "excellent" boss in question a serial winner who FSG could offer an eye-catching salary to.

Liverpool manager latest

It still seems scarcely believable that Klopp isn't going to be in charge at Anfield after this season, with the German one of the greatest figures in the history of the club. Sunday's EFL Cup final win over Chelsea was the latest display of his genius, as he masterminded a dramatic 1-0 win with a host of youngsters on the pitch.

Whoever comes in to replace the 56-year-old is going to have such a tough job on their hands, with Klopp potentially leaving one of the biggest voids a manager ever has in the English game.

Xabi Alonso continues to stand out as the favourite to take over from the German, with the former Liverpool midfielder working wonders at Bayer Leverkusen, not yet tasting defeat in the Bundesliga this season.

He is not the only potential target being looked at, however, and it appears as though the Reds are going down the route of looking at Europe's most exciting young bosses. Former Bayern Munich and current Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann is seen as an option, and the same applies to Sporting CP's highly-rated leader Ruben Amorim.

Now, another new name has been thrown into the hat, as Liverpool keep their options open in the hunt to find Klopp's successor.

Liverpool interested in Simone Inzaghi

According to Tuttosport on Tuesday [via Football Italia], Liverpool and FSG are interested in Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, with Manchester United and Chelsea also keen on snapping him up.

The update from the latter states that the Italian currently "earns €5.5m (£4.7m) net per season plus add-ons, adding that "the Premier League offers could reach around €8m-€9m (£6.8m-£7.7m) per year, figures his Italian club are unlikely to match."

Inzaghi certainly represents an intriguing option for Liverpool, considering how much he has already achieved in the game, winning three Italian Cups – two with Inter and one with Lazio. He has also been hailed by former defender Lele Adani, who has said of him:

"Simone Inzaghi is an excellent coach who continues to evolve. I believe his team’s performances and results speak for him."

The 47-year-old likes to adopt a 3-5-2 system that gets the best out of wing-backs, which could see the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Andy Robertson shine at Liverpool, and the job he is doing at Inter currently speaks for itself, with the Nerazzurri top of Serie A by nine points with a game in hand.

Jurgen Klopp "pretty sure" Liverpool star will sign new long-term contract

This would go down so well with Reds supporters.

By
Henry Jackson

Feb 27, 2024

Plenty may feel as though Alonso is the best choice to replace Klopp, however, given his reputation as a special young coach, highlighted by his brilliance in charge at Leverkusen. His Liverpool past helps, too – but plenty of supporters could also see sense in Inzaghi being appointed, making this one to watch.

Tottenham have a diamond on their hands, and will have a real fight to keep top clubs away if he continues on his current trajectory

Tottenham's academy has produced a number of household names in the Premier League era, from Ledley King and Peter Crouch to Danny Rose and Andros Townsend, and more recently, Kyle Walker-Peters and Harry Winks. All of those players went on to enjoy strong careers at both club and international level, but Spurs' most treasured asset was unearthed in 2009, when Harry Kane began his professional football journey.

Kane spent 14 years with the north London club, during which time he managed to surpass the legendary Jimmy Greaves atop their all-time goal-scorers' chart, while also becoming England captain. Spurs emerged as title contenders and Champions League finalists with Kane leading the line, but when the prolific frontman eventually departed for Bayern Munich in a blockbuster €100m (£84m/$108m) deal, he did so without a single piece of silverware to his name.

In fact, Tottenham haven't won anything since their 2008 League Cup triumph under Juande Ramos. The Kane era left supporters with a lingering sense of 'what might have been', and Spurs are in desperate need of an another inspirational figure with the talent to make the people believe again.

Enter Mikey Moore: the 16-year-old forward with seemingly limitless potential who is already pushing for senior recognition.

• Where it all began

  Moore was born on August 11, 2007 in Southwark, the London borough located on the south bank of the River Thames. Football quickly became his big passion, and he was drafted into Tottenham's youth ranks at the tender age of eight.

  The youngster successfully balanced academic life at Kent's Strood Academy with his commitments at Spurs, and enjoyed a rapid ascent as he displayed the technical quality and maturity of a far older player. In 2022, Moore broke into Tottenham's Under-18s team at just 15, while also earning a place in the England youth set-up.

  In November of that year, he was part of the England U16 squad that competed at the Football Federations Cup in Spain, and left a lasting impression on the tournament. Moore came off the bench when the Three Lions were 1-0 down against Germany in their second game, and scored two stunning solo goals to complete a memorable comeback.

  England didn't go onto win the competition, but Moore picked up the tournament's Golden Boot, and his performances blew everyone away. He would go on to finish the 2022-23 season with seven goal contributions in 10 U18 Premier League appearances for Spurs, and hit a brace for the U17s in a thumping 5-1 Premier League Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest.

  Moore also became the youngest-ever Tottenham player to turn out for the U21s, which led to then-interim first-team boss Ryan Mason inviting him to train with the senior squad. It's simply not normal to reach such a high level that quickly, and the following season, Moore proved beyond all doubt that he is a special talent capable of making it all the way to the top.

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• The big break

  Tottenham became increasingly aware of interest from clubs across the continent in Moore, and so they moved to tie him down to a long-term deal in June 2023. He rewarded the club's show of faith by scoring 14 goals in 12 U18 Premier League outings, while also recording eight assists, and the stage was set for him finish the campaign in historic fashion.

  Spurs dealt with an unprecedented injury crisis throughout Ange Postecoglou's first year in charge, with Moore among the academy starlets to be called into the senior squad to provide cover down the finishing stretch of the campaign. Moore was an unused substitute in Premier League games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Burnley, but his opportunity came when Tottenham played host to Manchester City on May 14.

  At 16 years, nine months and three days old, Moore broke Dane Scarlett's record as the youngest player to feature for Spurs in the Premier League when he came on for James Maddison in stoppage-time. Tottenham lost the game 2-0, but Moore described his cameo as the "proudest moment of my life" on social media.

  Moore was also quizzed on the experience by and replied with refreshing honesty: "It was good, the pace was so quick. It felt like I was playing FIFA. It felt mad. Coming on and trying to press, they move the ball so quick. I got a couple of touches of the ball and hopefully some more soon. As a young player coming through the academy, it's all you want really to make your debut. Coming on is probably the best feeling I've ever had to be fair."

  Postecoglou, meanwhile, reserved some special words for the teenager via the club's official media channel. “I thought it was important [to give him his debut]," he said. "It’s a bit of a reward for him for working hard in the last two, three weeks as part of the first-team squad, to give him that experience. He still has a long way to go, he’s only 16, but he’s a good kid and hopefully that encourages him.”

• How it's going

  Moore got his second senior appearance in Spurs' 3-0 final day win at Sheffield United, once again coming on as a late replacement for Maddison, before linking up with England for the U17 European Championship in Cyprus.

  The Three Lions ended up crashing out on penalties against Italy in the quarter-finals, but Moore went home with his head held high after scoring four goals, two of which came against France in the group stage. The 16-year-old's second effort was a thing of a beauty, as he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner after dancing past four opposition defenders, with England eventually running out 4-0 winners.

  Postecoglou was obviously impressed, because Moore is now enjoying a prominent role in his pre-season plans. Spurs thrashed Hearts 5-1 in their opening friendly fixture last week, and Moore managed to get on the scoresheet to open his goal tally at senior level.

  He told Spurs' official website after the game: “To score my first goal, even though it was in a pre-season game, was probably the best feeling I’ve had so far, and to score in front of the fans as well… it was unreal! The little dribble and finish… it’s what I’ve been doing in the academy so I just wanted to keep doing what I’ve been doing. Even though it was a pre-season game, it meant everything to me.”

  Moore was subsequently included in Tottenham's squad for their tour of Japan and South Korea, which will see them face off against Vissel Kobe and Bayern Munich. If he continues to make such a decisive impact in the final third, it's entirely possible that the 2024-25 campaign will be a breakout one for Spurs' newest academy gem.

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  Biggest strengths

  Highly-rated English coach Harry Brooks, who is the director of the RH Football Group that works with grassroot and academy stars across the globe, recently offered a glowing assessment of Moore to fuel the hype surrounding the Spurs teenager.

  “Mikey is a beautiful close-control dribbler,” Brooks told . “He has that clutch gene of end-product. The Spurs teams will look to him – all the attacks go through him, but he’ll also finish them off. He is what I call a ‘presence forward’ – which doesn’t need to be the biggest player, you just have to have the presence where you dictate how the team attacks and creates chances. You’re the go-to guy in attack. Mikey will be the one to decide, ‘I’m gonna win this game’.”

  Moore's preferred position is on the left wing, where he can cut inside and wreak havoc on his stronger right foot, but he's also versatile enough to play as a No.10 or an out-and-out striker. Spurs fans will quickly take to Moore because of his explosive, direct style of play, and he possesses a confident streak that sets him apart from other players at his age.